Almost every teenager in Hong Kong has a computer at home.
Because most personal computers are connected to a fast broadband network, downloading MP3 tracks from the internet has become a growing trend, and this raises controversial questions about the effect of the internet on the sales volume of CDs.
But the drop in CD sales is not necessarily the result of increasing use of the internet.
Music downloaded from the Web is usually of a poor quality. There is usually a loss of information and a deterioration in sound quality during the transmission of data to the computer's memory.
The main reason people download music is that they want to listen to newly released songs. If they like the songs, they will buy a quality version. Uploading a song on the net increases the song's exposure in the same way the radio gives exposure to a song.
Secondly, when teenagers buy flowers and souvenirs of their pop idols, they also buy their CDs to support them. Downloading songs from the internet would be almost like betraying their idols.